Alexander Kaulbars

Alexander Vasilyevich Kaulbars
General Alexander Vasilyevich Kaulbars
Born	(1844-05-14)May 14, 1844 Vinni Parish, Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire
Died	January 25, 1925(1925-01-25) (aged 80) Paris, France
Allegiance	Russian Empire
Service/branch	Russian Imperial Army
Years of service	1861-1916
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Russo-Turkish War Russo-Japanese War World War I

Baron Alexander Vasilyevich Kaulbars (Russian: Александр Васильевич Каульбарс ) (May 14, 1844 – January 25, 1925) was a general in the Imperial Russian Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and a noted explorer of Central Asia.

Kaulbars was born in Mõdriku, present-day Estonia, and grew up in St. Petersburg. He came from a Baltic German noble family descended from the Swedish aristocratic family von Kaulbars of Swedish origin, which remained in Estonia after the country was ceded to Russia. Both his father and his brother rose to the rank of general in the Imperial Russian Army. He was educated at the Nikolaev Cavalry School. His first experience in combat was in 1861, while serving with the Egersky Guards Regiment in the suppression of the Polish Uprising. After graduating from the Nicholas General Staff Academy, Kaulbars was commissioned as a lieutenant, and was assigned to serve on the staff of the Turkestan Military District. He was promoted to senior aide in 1870, to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1871, and to colonel in 1872. Soon after his arrival in Russian Turkestan, he explored the country beyond the Issyk-Kul into the Tien Shan mountains. His report was published as “Materials on the Geography of the Tien Shan”, and was awarded the gold medal by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society In 1870, he explored the Russian-Chinese border, surveying the summit of Khan Tengri and looking for mountain passes into Kashgar, which he visited in 1872 for negotiations on a commercial treaty with its ruler, Yaqub Beg.